Berberk.] floea indica. 219 



cious character ; these glands originate in the thickened bases of the nerves of the 

 petals, and in the bnd dmost surrounding the bases of the filaments. 



The varieties of B. vulgaris show many forms, and evei-y colour of fruit, — black, 

 white, violet, and red, — as indeed was long ago pointed out by De Candolle ; the size 

 and number of seeds and colour of the testa also vary much, as does the length of 

 the style and breadth of the stigma, though to a less extent. 



Amongst the peculiarities of Berheris the leaf is the most remarkable. It was 

 originally explained by Linnfcus (Proleps. Plant. Amcen. Acad. v. p. 330) that the 

 spines originate in reduced leaves, and represent three nerves. At first the spines 

 are simple, and have a small tooth on each side (or two in some alpine forms) to- 

 wards the base, which teeth elongate and produce the triple spine. In a seedling 

 BerbeHs the petiole of the leaf will always be found to be long, slender, articulate at 

 the base, and there furnished with two minute stipules, and bearing one articulate 

 leafiet ; the latter is often contracted above the joint into a partial petiole. As the 

 plant grows older the petiole shortens, and finally becomes obliterated, but in aU 

 cases the leaf will be found to be articulate with the stem. The minute stipules at 

 the base of the slender petiole of most species is replaced by an expanded auricled 

 sheath in the pinnate-leaved species. 



The uses of the species of Berheris are few and unimportant; the yellow wood 

 can be used as a dye, and the fruit of some is acid and eatable ; B. I/ycium is consi- 

 dered by Royle to be the Li/cium of Dioseorides, and its extract is found useful in 

 I ndia in inflammation of the eyes, under the name of Basot. 



Sect. 1. Mahonia. — Folia imparipinnata. 



1. B. Nepalensis (Spr. Syst. ii. 130) ; foliis pinnatis, petiolo arti- 

 culate basi dilatato vaginante utrinque stipula subulata, foliolis 3-13- 

 jugis spinuloso-dentatis, floribus in racemos erectos simplioes v. basi 

 divisos dispositis. — Wall. Cat. 1480 ! B. Miccia, Ham. mss. ex Don, 

 Prod. 305. B. acanthifolia, Wall.! mss. Bon, Syst. Oard.i. 118. B. 

 Leschenaultii, Wall. Cat. 1479!; WiffJit et Am. Prod. i. 16; Wight, 

 Icones, t. 940, Spicil. Neilgh. i. 7. t. 8. B. pinnata, Roxh. mss. Ma- 

 honia Nepalensis, BC. Syst. Veg. ii. 21, Prod. i. 109 ; Deless. Ic. Sel. 

 ii. t. 4. Ilex Japonica, Tliunh. Jap. 79. ejusd. Ic. t. 32 {fid. Bon). 



Hab. la sylvis Himalayas exterioris temperatse, alt. 6-8000 ped. : 

 a Bhotan ! usque ad Garhvifal ! vnlgatiss. ; in raontibus Khasia, 4-5000 

 ped. ! ; in montibus Nilghiri et Travancor, alt. 5-8000 ped. ! — (Tl. Oct. 

 -Mart.) ip.v.) 



DisTKiB. Japan? 



Trutex 3-6-pedalis (arbor parva in montibus peninsulse, fide Wight). Gaulis 

 erectus, supeme parce ramosus, ramis strictis erectis apice foliosis. Folia patentia, 

 6 unc. ad 1^-pedalia ; foliola 1-6 unc. longa, ovata, lauceolata, v. rotundata, recta 

 V. falcata, interdum basi eordata, inferiora minora et rotundata, valde coriacea, 

 nervis basi flabellatim dispositis ; petiolus strictus, rigidus, ad insertiouem foliolorum 

 articulatns, basi in vaginam semiamplexicaulem v. amplexicaulem dilatatus ; vagina 

 utrinque stipula subulata aueta ; vaginae superiores lamina et petiolo orbatse in brae- 

 teas sen squamas gemmarum transeunt. Bractea 1-2 unc. longse, apice dentatfe, 

 interiores lineares membranacese. Racemi plurimi, erecti, midtiflori, 1 unc. ad pe- 

 dales, glauci v. rubicundi, interdum subglanduloso-puberuli. Bracteolee coriaceEe, 

 persistentes, oblongse v. late ovatie, in pedunculum decurrentes, oblusse v. acuminatse. 

 Pedicelli erecti v. ascendentes, bracteis ajquilougi v. longiores, \ unc. longi. Flores 

 flavi, \-\ unc. longi. Sepala exteriora pai'va. Petala oblonga, bifida, nervo cen- 

 trali apice furcato (in exemplaribus Sikkimensibus). Bacca oblonga v. globosa, vio- 

 lacea, glauca, carnosa, acerba, -J-^unc. longa, in exempl. Nipalens. eBiptica, in cxempl. 



